【Happy (2015)】

Rick and Happy (2015)Morty and video games go together like Tammy and Birdperson. Only without the blood-soaked betrayal and stuff.

The show is chock full of gaming references. But it's more than just cheap gags to entice a millennial audience. Rick and Mortyhas proven to be one of the most gaming-literate shows on TV right now.

These jokes not only intimately understand the games they're referencing, but also the culture surrounding them. Predominantly, this comes from co-creator Justin Roiland's well-known love of gaming, which is so strong he opened up his own VR studio called Squanch Games (previously Squanchtendo).

There are ample crossovers into actual gaming, too.

Aside from the popular Pocket MortysiOS game, the team also created Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-alitywith Owlchemy Labs. They've teamed up with the people behind everything from massive franchises to tiny indie games -- like Rocket League, Gangbeasts, Dota 2-- contributing characters, skins, Roiland's Rick and Morty voices, and sorely needed humor.

So here are the best video game references of all time on Rick and Morty, providing us with some of the most salient odes and critiques of gaming culture.

1. Stockpiling limited edition Nintendo stuff only sounds like a good business investment.

In "Total Rickcall," the Smiths battle a bunch of parasites pretending to be part of the family through false memories. In one such memory, Rick interrupts everyone watching TV with a crazed rant about how Walmart is giving an unbelievable deal on Zelda Limited Edition Nintendo 3DSes that they need to stock pile in order to flip and make a shit load of money back.

https://manzinat0r.tumblr.com/post/126894610040/theres-kind-of-a-story-behind-this-scene-justin

Hysterically, while this is a false memory in the show, it happened to Justin Roiland in real life. One of his friends confirmed this in a Tumblr post, describing how Roiland's get-rich-quick Nintendo scheme didn't really pan out the way he hoped it would.

But Rick's feverish freakout looks familiar to anyone who's ever found themselves desperately scrambling to find perpetually out of stock Nintendo gear, like the recent SNES Classic.

Also, we're gonna assume Rick breaking the fourth wall to address Nintendo directly was Roiland genuinely just requesting free shit.

2. Video game weapons are rad AF.

On several occasions, Rick and Morty's artists have borrowed from iconic video game weapon design. In "Total Rickall," Rick's wall of sci-fi guns look suspiciously similar to guns in Halo, with two nearly identical replicas of the SPNKR Rocket Launcher and the MA5 Assault Rifle.

This wasn't the only instance, either. In Season 3's the "ABC's of Beth," Rick points to a Ray Gun that his psychopathic daughter requested he make, which looks very reminiscent of the life-saving Ray Gun everyone prayed to get in Call of Duty'sZombie mode.

The finale was chock full of video game weapon references, too. During Rick's epic battle with POTUS, he uses a Hammer of Dawn satellite laser reminiscent of Gears of War, and aGravity Gun that's straight outta Half-Life 2.

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3. The unspoken whisper of "Half-life 3 confirmed" in Gabe Newell's Season 2 DVD commentary.

Valve legend Gabe Newell, along with former and current Valve employees Erik Wolpaw and Jay Pinkerton, joined forces for a guest commentary on the "Mortynight Run" episode. At one point, Newell makes a pointed joke about how Rick and Morty Season 3 was at least confirmed.

If you listen closely to the rresounding silence from Wolpaw and Pinkerton, you can almost hear the whisper of "Half-Life 3 confirmed." Although we all know Half-Life 3is basically dead now.

You are as big of a cruel, unforgiving god as Rick Sanchez, Gabe Newell.

4. Save your opinionated rants for the internet, Youtubers.

During one of Rick's many rage-fueled rants on the disappointment that was Men in Black II, Morty uncharacteristically interrupts his grandfather. Speaking the words we've all wished we could say to a friend who won't shut up about this or that opinion on a game, Morty tells Rick to, "save it for YouTube."

Seriously, though. Just save it for Youtube. Or, if you're pewdiepie, just take your opinions and shove them waaaay up your butthole.

5. Only Jerrys play stupid goddamn free-to-play iOS games.

Throughout a few episodes, you can find Jerry at the family table playing a variety of generic F2P iOS games, like Balloonsand Candy Crushclones. Almost every time this happens, like in "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" and "Something Ricked This Way Comes," Jerry misses some integral information about his family members and the universe.

...because he's too busy playing a game designed to attract mentally vulnerable players like toddlers. Real nice, Jerry. You goddamn noob.

5. Hate all you want, but Minecraft is rad so shut your mouth.

The Season 3 finale "The Rickchurian Mortydate" included ample nods to Minecraft, even featuring a scene insidethe upcoming Minecraft VR. But, in a show known for shitting on everything (and coming from a character who holds nothing dear), Rick actually takes a liking to Minecraft.

He asks whether it's meant to appeal to autistic kids. And -- instead of making some horrible, cheap joke about players on the spectrum -- Rick reveals that he believes himself to be on the spectrum.

That's character development, which is not only insightful but also breaks stereotypes about people on the spectrum.

6. Jealousy over a friend's Nintendo system was so strong as a kid that it was enough to turn you murderous.

Beth's lifelong friend Jimmy made a few mistakes as a kid, which landed him in a gruesome situation. The first was getting involved with the Sanchez family in any capacity. The second was taking Beth's invitation to the magical Froopyland. But above all, his biggest mistake was owning a Nintendo gaming system that Beth wanted.

As mentioned in Tommy's theatrical recreation of that fateful day that led to his entrapment in Froopyland forever, he mentions how the Nintendo system definitely played a role in Beth's betrayal. Sure, she was also jealous that Tommy had a sane and loving family.

But clearly it was those sweet, sweet Nintendo exclusives that pushed her over the edge to doom Tommy to a lifetime of incestuous cannibalism.

7. Virtual reality games are kind of absurd

By far the show's greatest commentary on gaming can be found in the episode where Rick and Morty visit their equivalent of Dave and Busters (AKA Blitz and Chips). In this adult playground, Morty tries out one of the most popular games, Roy: A Life Well Lived.

The gameplay of Royis to, uh, live your regular-ass life. The whole sketch is a biting satire of games (VR or otherwise) that are almost too well designed to mimic the daily routines of life -- a la Animal Crossingor Harvest Moon. Or Job Simulator.

The joke isn't necessarily at the expense of these video games, though. Rather, it's our utter fascination as players with escaping the real world and our real life chores... by playing video games that recreate the same exact mundanity. Only in digital form.

I mean, who hasn'tfound themselves so wrapped up in romancing a life partner in Harvest Moon that, when suddenly pulled out of the game, you look around wildly in confusion wondering, "Where's my wife?!" No one, that's who.

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